Pa. Officials Charge 7 From Poconos With Selling Parts From Bears And Deer

January 29, 1992|by SEAN CONNOLLY, The Morning Call

Pennsylvania Game Commission officials have charged seven people in the Poconos with illegally buying or selling bear and deer parts, which are considered medicines or aphrodisiacs in some Asian cultures.

The alleged offenders, including the owners of an Asian grocery store in Bartonsville, face more than $56,000 in fines for the summary offenses.

Bruce Whitman, a Game Commission spokesman, Monday said it is illegal to buy or sell wildlife in Pennsylvania. He said the legal purpose of hunting is to provide sport or food for hunters, not financial gain.

"Hunting is primarily used as a wildlife management tool," Whitman said. "When money gets into it, it opens up another world."

Whitman said officials began the investigation into the sale and purchase of wildlife parts during the November 1990 bear season. At the Tobyhanna check station, hunters reported being approached by people who wanted to buy whole bears or bear gallbladders.

Whitman said the bear gallbladders and soft deer antlers are ground into powder and used in a tea-like potion believed to cure ailments and improve sexual prowess. He said bear meat and bear paws are also used in a soup served for special occasions in Asia. Bear-paw soup is also gaining popularity as an exotic food in America, according to game officials.

Game Commission officials cited the owners of the grocery store, Chang Nyo Yoon, 32, and Jong Hi Yoon, 28, both of Tobyhanna, on summary charges of buying and selling game. Chang Nyo Yoon faces seven charges and fines of $7,850, and Jong Hi Yoon faces four charges and fines of $3,450.

At the hotel, officials cited Chung H. Lee, 52, of Mount Pocono for buying bear parts on Nov. 19 and 25. He pleaded guilty to six charges at District Justice Dan Whitesell's office in Mountainhome and was fined $10,400.

Game Commission officials Thursday also cited a New Jersey woman at a hotel in Delaware Water Gap after they allegedly sold her a whole bear carcass. Suk Cha "Suzie" Carrero, 37, of Moonachie, faces 10 charges and fines of $15,270.

Whitman said the execution of the search warrants led to the arrest of three other suspects on charges of illegally buying and selling wildlife parts. Whitman said two of the suspects allowed officials to search their homes.